OTTAWA, August 26, 1998 -- Many small and mid-size businesses -- particularly those susceptible to the high costs of operating in large centres -- would willingly sidestep the urban hustle if they could keep the competitive, big-city profile.

Industry Canada says it has a solution. Teaming up with GE Capital Information Technology Solutions, the Royal Bank, DoP@y and Strategic Profits Inc., the federal department is now taking the Web to rural communities outside Toronto and beyond.

It's "Community Storefronts" initiative -- a pilot project now being tested in rural communities in Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec and Nova Scotia -- allows small and medium-sized enterprises to market and sell their products and services.

Mississauga-based GE Capital IT Solutions is providing the overall computing solution on a central, secure hardware system, the idea being to give companies with rural or small-town addresses competitive parity with companies located in the heart of urban metropolises such as Toronto -- without the attendant big-city costs.

The storefront web site (http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/cs) links to nearly 250 businesses and 60 non-profit organizations through Community Access Program (CAP) sites in Ontario's Lanark County, the north Okanagan region of B.C., Joliette, Que. and Cape Breton and Web Networks. Businesses involved cover the industrial gamut -- from legal, retail and tourism firms to consulting companies and agri- products.

Ever thought about buying grain over the Internet? What about previewing a new herd of cattle on-line? Remember: on the Internet, nobody knows you're a farmer.